Corrositex Test Method for Dermal Corrosivity Testing

The Corrositex® assay measures the potential for a substance to cause skin corrosion by testing if the substance can pass through a biobarrier by diffusion, erosion, or destruction. ICCVAM convened an independent peer review panel meeting in January 1999 to evaluate Corrositex for the identification of potential dermal corrosives.

The panel concluded that for certain testing circumstances, such as testing performed to comply with the U.S. Department of Transportation regulations, Corrositex is useful as a stand-alone assay for evaluating the corrosivity or noncorrosivity of acids, bases, and acid derivatives and can replace the use of animals. The panel also concluded that, in other testing circumstances and for other chemical and product classes, Corrositex may be used as part of a tiered assessment strategy. A positive result for corrosivity will usually eliminate the need for further animal testing; when further testing in animals is determined to be necessary, only one animal is required to confirm a corrosive chemical. Most of the chemicals that are identified as negative by Corrositex or nonqualifying in the detection system are unlikely to be corrosive when tested on animals for irritation potential.Read Additional Panel Recommendations

Corrositex is accepted as an alternative to a procedure specified in the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) Hazardous Materials Regulations (DOT-SP 10904) for DOT packing group classification of corrosive materials.